Difference between revisions of "Truth"

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{{Top}}vérité{{Bottom}}
  
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Truth (vÈritÈ) is one of the most central, and yet most complex terms in Lacan's discourse. A few basic points are clear and constant in Lacan's concept of truth; truth always refers to truth about desire, and the aim of psychoanalytic treatment is to lead the analysand to articulate this truth.  
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[[Truth]] is one of the most central, and yet most [[complex]] [[terms]] in [[Lacan]]'s [[discourse]].  
  
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Truth does not await, in some preformed state of fullness, to be revealed to the analysand by the analyst; on the contrary, it is gradually constructed in the dialectical movement of the treatment itself.<ref>Ec, 144</ref>
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==Psychoanalysis==
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The [[aim]] of [[psychoanalytic]] [[treatment]] is to lead the [[analysand]] to articulate the [[truth]] of his or her [[desire]].
  
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Lacan argues, in opposition to the traditions of classical philosophy, that truth is not beautiful<ref>S7, 217</ref> and that it is not necessarily beneficial to learn the truth.<ref>Sl7, 122</ref>  
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[[Truth]] does not await, in some preformed [[state]] of fullness, to be revealed to the [[analysand]] by the [[analyst]], but is rather constructed in the [[dialectic]]al movement of the [[treatment]] itself.<ref>{{Ec}} p.144</ref>  
  
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While Lacan always speaks about 'truth' in the singular, this is not a single universal truth, but an absolutely particular truth, unique to each subject.<ref>see S7, 24</ref>  
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==Philosophy==
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[[Lacan]] argues, in opposition to the traditions of classical [[philosophy]], that [[truth]] is not beautiful<ref>{{S7}} p.217</ref> and that it is not necessarily beneficial to learn the [[truth]].<ref>{{S17}} p.122</ref>  
  
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[[Lacan]] speaks [[about]] "[[truth]]" in the [[singular]], not as a single [[universal]] [[truth]], but as [[particular]] [[truth]], unique to each [[subject]].<ref>{{S7}} p.24</ref>
  
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However, beyond these few simple points, it is impossible to give a univocal definition of the way Lacan uses the term, since it functions in multiple contexts simultaneously, in opposition to a wide variety of terrns.
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==Language==
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[[Truth]] is only a meaningful [[concept]] in the context of [[language]]:
  
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All that will be attempted here, therefore, is a general indication of some of the contexts in which it functions.
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<blockquote>"It is with the appearance of [[language]] that the [[dimension]] of [[truth]] emerges."<ref>{{E}} p.172</ref></blockquote>
  
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==Truth versus exactitude==
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[[Psychoanalytic]] [[treatment]] is based on the fundamental premise that [[speech]] is the only means of revealing the [[truth]] about [[desire]].  
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Exactitude is a question of 'introducing measurement into the real',<ref>E, 74</ref> and constitutes the aim of the exact sciences.
 
  
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Truth, however, concerns desire, which is not a matter for the exact sciences but for the sciences of subjectivity.  
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<blockquote>"[[Truth]] hollows its way into the [[real]] thanks to the dimension of [[speech]]. There is neither [[true]] nor [[false]] prior to [[speech]]."<ref>{{S1}} p.228</ref></blockquote>
  
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Therefore truth is only a meaningful concept in the context of language: 'It is with the appearance of language that the dimension of truth emerges.'<ref>E, 172</ref>
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==Science==
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From [[Lacan]]'s earliest writings, the term "[[truth]]" has metaphysical,  even mystical, nuances which problematise any attempt to articulate [[truth]] and [[science]].  
  
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Psychoanalytic treatment is based on the fundamental premise that speech is the only means of revealing the truth about desire.  
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It is not that [[Lacan]] denies that [[science]] aims to [[know]] the [[truth]], but simply that [[science]] cannot [[claim]] to monopolise [[truth]] as its exclusive property.<ref>{{Ec}} p.79</ref>
  
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'Truth hollows its way into the real thanks to the dimension of speech. There is neither true nor false prior to speech.'<ref>Sl, 228</ref>
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[[Lacan]] later argues that [[science]] is in fact based on a [[foreclosure]] of the concept of [[truth]] as [[cause]].<ref>{{Ec}} p.874</ref>  
  
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The concept of [[truth]] is essential for [[understanding]] [[madness]], and modern [[science]] renders [[madness]] meaningless by ignoring the concept of [[truth]].<ref>{{Ec}} p.153-4</ref>
  
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==Truth and [[Science]]==
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==Truth and Deception==
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From Lacan's earliest writings, the term 'truth' has metaphysical,  even mystical, nuances which problematise any attempt to articulate truth and science.  
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[[Truth]] is intimately connected with [[deception]], since lies can often reveal the [[truth]] about [[desire]] more eloquently than honest statements.  
  
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It is not that Lacan denies that science aims to know the truth, but simply that science cannot claim to monopolise truth as its exclusive property.<ref>Ec, 79</ref>
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[[Deception]] and lies are not the opposite of [[truth]]: on the contrary, they are inscribed in the [[text]] of [[truth]].  
  
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Lacan later argues that science is in fact based on a foreclosure of the concept of truth as cause.<ref>Ec, 874</ref>
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The [[analyst]]'s [[role]] is to reveal the [[truth]] inscribed in the [[deception]] of the [[analysand]]'s [[speech]].  
  
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The concept of truth is essential for understanding madness, and modern science renders madness meaningless by ignoring the concept of truth.<ref>Ec, 153-4</ref>
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Although the [[analysand]] may in effect be saying to the [[analyst]] "I am deceiving you," the [[analyst]] says to the [[analysand]]:
  
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==Truth, lies and deception==
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<blockquote>"In this I am deceiving to you, what you are sending as [[message]] is what I express to you, and in doing so you are telling the truth.<ref>{{S11}} p.139-40; {{S4}} p.107-8)</ref></blockquote>
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Truth is intimately connected with deception, since lies can often reveal the truth about desire more eloquently than honest statements.  
 
  
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Deception and lies are not the opposite of truth: on the contrary, they are inscribed in the text of truth.  
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==False Appearances==
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The false [[appearance]]s presented by the [[analysand]] are not merely obstacles that the [[analyst]] must expose and discard in [[order]] to discover the [[truth]]; on the contrary, the [[analyst]] must take [[them]] into account (see [[semblance]]).
  
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The analyst's role is to reveal the truth inscribed in the deception of the analysand's speech.  
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==Error and Mistakes==
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[[Psychoanalysis]] has shown that the [[truth]] about [[desire]] is often revealed by mistakes ([[parapraxes]]).  
  
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Although the analysand may in effect be saying to the analyst 'I am deceiving you', the analyst says to the analysand 'In this I am deceiving to you, what you are sending as message is what I express to you, and in doing so you are telling the truth.<ref>(S11,
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The complex relations between [[truth]], mistakes, error and [[deception]] are evoked by [[Lacan]] in a typically elusive phrase when he describes "the [[structuration]] of speech in [[search]] of truth" as "error taking flight in deception and recaptured by mistake."<ref>{{S1}} p. 273</ref>
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139-40; see S4, 107-8)</ref>
 
  
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==Fiction==
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[[Lacan]] does not use the term "[[fiction]]" in the [[sense]] of 'a falsehood', but in the sense of a [[scientific]] [[construct]].<ref>{{S7}} p.12</ref>
  
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==Truth versus false appearances==
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Thus [[Lacan]]'s term "[[fiction]]" corresponds to [[Freud]]'s term ''Konvention'', convention,<ref>{{S11}} p.163</ref> and has more in common with [[truth]] than falsehood.  
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The false appearances presented by the analysand are not merely obstacles that the analyst must expose and discard in order to discover the truth; on the contrary, the analyst must take them into account (see [[semblance]]).
 
  
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==Truth, error and mistakes==
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Indeed, [[Lacan]] states that [[truth]] is [[structure]]d like a [[fiction]].<ref>{{E}} 306; {{Ec}} 808</ref>
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Psychoanalysis has shown that the truth
 
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about desire is often revealed by mistakes (parapraxes).<ref>see [[Act]]</ref> 
 
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The complex relations between truth, mistakes, error and deception are evoked by Lacan in a typically elusive phrase when he describes 'the structuration of speech in search of truth' as 'error taking flight in deception and recaptured by mistake.'<ref>Sl, 273</ref>
 
  
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==Truth and fiction==
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==The Real==
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Lacan does not use the term 'fiction' in the sense of 'a falsehood', but in the sense of a scientific construct (Lacan takes his cue here from Bentham).<ref>see S7, 12</ref>  
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The opposition which [[Lacan]] draws between [[truth]] and the [[real]] dates back to his pre-war writings,<ref>{{Ec}} p.75</ref> and is taken up at various points;  
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Thus Lacan's term 'fiction' corresponds to Freud's term Konvention, convention,<ref>see S11, 163</ref> and has more in common with truth than falsehood.
 
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Indeed, Lacan states that truth is structured like a fiction.<ref>E, 306; Ec, 808</ref>
 
  
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==Truth and the real==
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<blockquote>"We are used to the real. The truth we [[repress]]."<ref>{{E}} p.169</ref></blockquote>
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The opposition which Lacan draws between truth and the real dates back to his pre-war writings,<ref>e.g. Ec, 75</ref> and is taken up at various points; 'We are used to the real. The truth we repress.'<ref>E, 169</ref>
 
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However, Lacan also points out that truth is similar to the real; it is impossible to articulate the whole truth, and '[p]recisely because of this impossibility, truth aspires to the real.'<ref>Lacan, 1973a: 83</ref>
 
  
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== References ==
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However, [[Lacan]] also points out that [[truth]] is similar to the [[real]]; it is [[impossible]] to articulate the [[whole]] [[truth]], and "[p]recisely because of this [[impossibility]], [[truth]] aspires to the real."<ref>{{TV}} p. 83</ref>
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==See Also==
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{{See}}
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* [[Analysand]]
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* [[Analyst]]
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* [[Cause]]
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* [[Desire]]
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* [[Dialectic]]
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* [[Philosophy]]
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* [[Science]]
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* [[Semblance]]
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* [[Speech]]
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* [[Structure]]
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* [[Subject]]
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* [[Treatment]]
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{{Also}}
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==References==
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[[Category:Linguistics]]
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[[Category:Dictionary]]
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[[Category:Language]]
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[[Category:Symbolic]]
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[[Category:Concepts]]
 
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Latest revision as of 02:53, 21 May 2019

French: vérité

Truth is one of the most central, and yet most complex terms in Lacan's discourse.

Psychoanalysis

The aim of psychoanalytic treatment is to lead the analysand to articulate the truth of his or her desire.

Truth does not await, in some preformed state of fullness, to be revealed to the analysand by the analyst, but is rather constructed in the dialectical movement of the treatment itself.[1]

Philosophy

Lacan argues, in opposition to the traditions of classical philosophy, that truth is not beautiful[2] and that it is not necessarily beneficial to learn the truth.[3]

Lacan speaks about "truth" in the singular, not as a single universal truth, but as particular truth, unique to each subject.[4]

Language

Truth is only a meaningful concept in the context of language:

"It is with the appearance of language that the dimension of truth emerges."[5]

Psychoanalytic treatment is based on the fundamental premise that speech is the only means of revealing the truth about desire.

"Truth hollows its way into the real thanks to the dimension of speech. There is neither true nor false prior to speech."[6]

Science

From Lacan's earliest writings, the term "truth" has metaphysical, even mystical, nuances which problematise any attempt to articulate truth and science.

It is not that Lacan denies that science aims to know the truth, but simply that science cannot claim to monopolise truth as its exclusive property.[7]

Lacan later argues that science is in fact based on a foreclosure of the concept of truth as cause.[8]

The concept of truth is essential for understanding madness, and modern science renders madness meaningless by ignoring the concept of truth.[9]

Truth and Deception

Truth is intimately connected with deception, since lies can often reveal the truth about desire more eloquently than honest statements.

Deception and lies are not the opposite of truth: on the contrary, they are inscribed in the text of truth.

The analyst's role is to reveal the truth inscribed in the deception of the analysand's speech.

Although the analysand may in effect be saying to the analyst "I am deceiving you," the analyst says to the analysand:

"In this I am deceiving to you, what you are sending as message is what I express to you, and in doing so you are telling the truth.[10]

False Appearances

The false appearances presented by the analysand are not merely obstacles that the analyst must expose and discard in order to discover the truth; on the contrary, the analyst must take them into account (see semblance).

Error and Mistakes

Psychoanalysis has shown that the truth about desire is often revealed by mistakes (parapraxes).

The complex relations between truth, mistakes, error and deception are evoked by Lacan in a typically elusive phrase when he describes "the structuration of speech in search of truth" as "error taking flight in deception and recaptured by mistake."[11]

Fiction

Lacan does not use the term "fiction" in the sense of 'a falsehood', but in the sense of a scientific construct.[12]

Thus Lacan's term "fiction" corresponds to Freud's term Konvention, convention,[13] and has more in common with truth than falsehood.

Indeed, Lacan states that truth is structured like a fiction.[14]

The Real

The opposition which Lacan draws between truth and the real dates back to his pre-war writings,[15] and is taken up at various points;

"We are used to the real. The truth we repress."[16]

However, Lacan also points out that truth is similar to the real; it is impossible to articulate the whole truth, and "[p]recisely because of this impossibility, truth aspires to the real."[17]

See Also

References

  1. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.144
  2. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p.217
  3. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Le Séminaire. Livre XVII. L'envers de la psychanalyse, 19669-70. Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. Paris: Seuil, 1991. p.122
  4. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p.24
  5. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p.172
  6. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book I. Freud's Papers on Technique, 1953-54. Trans. John Forrester. New York: Nortion; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p.228
  7. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.79
  8. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.874
  9. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.153-4
  10. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book XI. The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis, 1964. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Hogarth Press and Institute of Psycho-Analysis, 1977. p.139-40; Lacan, Jacques. Le Séminaire. Livre IV. La relation d'objet, 19566-57. Ed. Jacques-Alain Miller. Paris: Seuil, 1991. p.107-8)
  11. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book I. Freud's Papers on Technique, 1953-54. Trans. John Forrester. New York: Nortion; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988. p. 273
  12. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book VII. The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, 1959-60. Trans. Dennis Porter. London: Routledge, 1992. p.12
  13. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. The Seminar. Book XI. The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psychoanalysis, 1964. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Hogarth Press and Institute of Psycho-Analysis, 1977. p.163
  14. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. 306; Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. 808
  15. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits. Paris: Seuil, 1966. p.75
  16. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Écrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. London: Tavistock Publications, 1977. p.169
  17. ↑ Lacan, Jacques. Télévision, Paris: Seuil, 1973. Television: A Challenge to the Psychoanalytic Establishment, ed. Joan Copjec, trans. Denis Hollier, Rosalind Krauss and Annette Michelson, New York: Norton, 1990]. p. 83
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